
Photo © 2012 Markus Spiering
Click here for original image.
A hundred geeks with cameras. Yup, and I was buried smack-dab in the middle of ’em. Didn’t want to be there. Didn’t mean to be there.
I remember in a high-school science class, we saw a film of an amoeba eating a paramecium. The amoeba’s body flowed around its prey, and after it had the poor bug surrounded, it just, kinda… digested it, right there, just like that. The paramecium squiggled and squirmed, tried valiantly to escape, but too little, too late. And then—poof!—it shimmered and was absorbed into the predator. It was gone.
That was me, that poor, little paramecium. My goofy boyfriend pulled me in before I knew what was going on. And by the time I realized what was going on, I was surrounded, and being digested by an amoeba, and unable to escape.
Chet had begged me to come along. He said I’d enjoy it. For the record, I didn’t. But I was glad he was finally enjoying something. He’s been so bent out of shape since he lost his job last April. Laid off on April the first, if you can get that joke.
We scaled back on our standard of living. That didn’t bug me so much. But what really surprised me was how much it got him down. He stopped doing anything constructive, spent all day watching TV, wasn’t looking for work, said we’d do fine on his unemployment check.
We’ve been surviving on peanut butter and ramen noodles and pasta and frozen burritos. I don’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.
I started by bugging him about his lack of work. He said he wanted a little vacation. I gave him a little vacation, then asked again. He said he was trying, but that nothing was available. I didn’t believe him, not that much. I asked him what job ads he had responded to each day. Most days, he just ignored me. Some days, yelled at me. I told him we could no longer afford cable TV. He convinced his parents to pay the bill.
I thought of getting ahold of a sledgehammer and having an “accident” with the TV set, but then I thought twice: we might need to sell it someday.
He was partially right, of course. There were no jobs in his field. But what bugged me most was that he was letting it get to him. His mind began wasting away to nothing, nothing at all, all day everyday. And as each day continued, he sank lower into the couch, and further into pity party.
I didn’t know how to snap him out of it. But his birthday gift did. One of his old office buddies sent him a digital camera, along with a really cool-looking book about how to take fun pictures about anything at all.
So when he threw himself into the hobby, and the hobby became an obsession, and a obsession became an endeavor, and when he began studying photography and framing and composition and lighting, and posted photo after photo to Flickr, and when he began hanging out with other camera-heads, and started talking about pursuing it professionally… I wanted to object. But not for the reason you might think. I wanted to object, because I was beginning to feel ignored.
But at least he was smiling again, and I had missed his smile. And the TV remained powered-off, except for the weekly exhibitions of his latest photos, which he would force me to watch, no matter how many hours I had worked that day.
Then, when he begged me to come to this big gathering of camera-heads, I gave in. I didn’t want to at first, but he pushed me and pressed me, and then he cuddled up next to me and told me about how much fun it was going to be to get away and that we hadn’t had a vacation in forever and that I needed a break—which was true. And he kissed me, and I melted and said yes. Sigh.
I hated it, didn’t enjoy it at all. There were no other camera-head-significant-others there. The food was okay, but the guest speaker spoke only camera-ese, and told only stupid camera jokes and camera stories. Then those assembled talked all afternoon about gadgets and techniques and awards, and showed each other the contents of their camera cases. Chet even got some business advice, which may or may not have been good advice, but he was enjoying himself, even though I had no idea what anyone was talking about.
“This is my girlfriend, Katy.”
And I smiled and faded into the background, maybe fondled a drink and tried to look interested in what they were saying while pondering the intricacies of the room’s potted flora. Too much, too far, too long. I was out of it. I so wanted to go home.
We started toward the door, walked out into the afternoon sun. I made a move toward the car, but Chet grabbed my hand and pulled me in the opposite direction. I looked up and saw that we were surrounded by a growing crowd, which was closing in around us on all sides. I was trapped, and one of the geeks with a camera was pointing it right at me. The other targets pointed their cameras back at him, but I was defenseless, hair akimbo, probably with a piece of spinach stuck between my teeth… not that it mattered, as no one could see my teeth.
The geek said, “Alright! Ready everybody?! Cheeeezzze!”
And everyone said, “Cheeeezzze!”
“Hold on!” He interrupted them, futzing with his camera. “Okay…”
“Quick!” said Chet. “Somebody fire before he reloads!” And raised his camera and took aim.
And that’s when the geek pulled the trigger.
What’s up, its pleasant paragraph about media print, we all be familiar with media is a great source of information.
лучший топ рейтинг казино на деньги онлайн
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you made blogging look easy. The overall look of your web site is great, let alone the content!
онлайн казино топ 20 лучших
купил диплом единственный купил диплом единственный .
my company https://lumi-wallet.io
Today, I went to the beach with my children. I found a sea shell and gave
it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to
her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab
inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back!
LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say superb blog!
рейтинг популярных казино онлайн
use this link https://lumi-wallet.io
кракен link
Terrific post however , I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Appreciate it!
казино с приложениями онлайн рейтинг
Hi there Dear, are you really visiting this site regularly, if so after that you will without doubt take pleasant knowledge.
рейтинг онлайн казино европы
Критически важный отрезок — первые 12–24 часа. Мы разбиваем его на «окна», в каждом из которых есть цель, набор действий, маркеры контроля и критерий перехода. Если целевой отклик не достигнут, меняем один параметр: темп инфузии, очередность модулей или поведенческую опору (свет/тишина/цифровой режим) — и назначаем новую точку оценки. Это сохраняет причинно-следственную связь и предотвращает полипрагмазию.
Получить дополнительную информацию – наркологическая клиника нарколог
Thanks a lot for sharing this with all folks you actually understand what you are speaking approximately! Bookmarked. Please also consult with my web site =). We will have a link trade agreement between us
казино с быстрым выводом
internet https://lumi-wallet.io
This is a great resource. Thanks for putting it together!
why not look here https://lumi-wallet.io/
В сердце Подмосковья, в Клину, процветает садовый питомник “Всё Своё”, предлагающий обширный ассортимент саженцев плодовых деревьев и декоративных растений, идеально адаптированных к местному климату. Здесь вы найдёте яблони, груши, вишни, сливы, а также экзотические варианты вроде многосортовых гибридов и колоновидных форм, все зимостойкие и готовые к богатому урожаю. Особое место отведено кустарникам: малина, смородина, голубика, жимолость, а также ornamentalные гортензии, розы, хвойные и пионы, свыше 500 видов от надёжных отечественных производителей. Профессионалы дают консультации, организуют доставку и посадку, обеспечивая крепкие растения по выгодным ценам. Посетите https://sadovodklin.ru/ чтобы ознакомиться с каталогом, акциями и форумом, где делятся советами по уходу за садом в суровых условиях севера России, и сделайте заказ прямо онлайн или по телефону для самовывоза.
купить диплом ес https://r-diploma22.ru/ .
Amazing job — I’ll be sharing this with others.
from this source https://lumi-wallet.io/
Today, I went to the beach front with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!
discover this https://lumi-wallet.io/
check it out https://lumi-wallet.io
I can feel the joy behind your words — so refreshing!
helpful site https://lumi-wallet.io/
Формат помощи
Получить дополнительные сведения – вывод из запоя в стационаре
https://tinyurl.com/23caf35j
Howdy I am so happy I found your weblog, I really found you by accident, while I was looking on Digg for something else, Anyways I am here now and would just like to say thanks a lot for a tremendous post and a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to look over it all at the minute but I have book-marked it and also added your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read more, Please do keep up the great work.
топ казино на телефон
кракен ссылка tor
I switched from another service because of the accurate charts and responsive team.
Outstanding writing, as always.
Комплексный подход обеспечивает не только снятие симптомов, но и полное восстановление функций организма. Пациент получает поддержку на всех этапах — от детоксикации до социальной адаптации.
Подробнее – частная наркологическая помощь
http://classichonda.phorum.pl/viewtopic.php?p=167958#167958
QQ88 Media cập nhật tên miền mới, cá cược casino tặng 88k , bắn cá tặng 100k, nổ hũ tặng 50k, đá gà tặng 1 tỷ.
useful content https://lumi-wallet.io
look at here now https://lumi-wallet.io/
I’m consistently impressed by the quality of your work.
https://PostHereFree.com/588/posts/1/1/1891353.html
You always deliver top-notch content — keep it up!
It’s remarkable for me to have a site, which is helpful in favor of my know-how. thanks admin
ведущая игровая площадка
great site https://lumi-wallet.io/
кракен тор браузер
view publisher site https://lumi-wallet.io
What’s up, this weekend is fastidious designed for me, for the reason that this occasion i am reading this enormous educational article here at my home.
переводы по рейтинг казино топ
Laissez-vous emporter par la prose élégante et désinvolte qui caractérise le style unique de Françoise Sagan dès les premières lignes. En choisissant la version Bonjour Tristesse PDF, vous vous offrez la liberté de lire ce drame psychologique intense à votre propre rythme, que vous soyez en déplacement ou tranquillement chez vous. https://bonjourtristessepdf.site/ Bonjour Tristesse Document Pdf
web link https://lumi-wallet.io
check over here https://lumi-wallet.io
This article helped me understand things from a new angle.
article source https://lumi-wallet.io
owntheserp.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
visit homepage https://lumi-wallet.io/